Aside from Cameroon’s President Paul Biya and main opposition leader Joshua Osih, no candidate for the October election is creating as much hype as 66-year-old lawyer AkereMuna.

Muna, the former vice president of the anti-corruption group Transparency International, says he is the best candidate to fight the deep-rooted corruption that has hindered Cameroon’s development, despite rich natural and human resources.

A 2015 Transparency International report labeled Cameroon as one of the most corrupt African nations, alongside Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa. Transparency said corruption creates and increases poverty and exclusion. It also said whistleblowing is key to fighting graft, but many people are afraid to come forward.

“Under my government, there will be zero tolerance for corruption,” Muna said. “Absolutely zero tolerance. This country is tailor made for any type of corrupt practices. The World Bank report on public expenses of 18th May says so. Procurement � prices bloated; meetings � prices bloated; missions, travel � prices bloated. Every single way they have to spend money, they increase it by prices.”

But NgolleNgolle Elvis, a close aid of President Biya, says Muna is wasting his time.

“A good policy such as the fight against corruption should not be manipulated upon or should not be distorted or should not be rendered a mockery by those who do not understand the moral foundations, the legitimacy of that policy,” Ngolle said.

Ngolle says Biya has made the fight against corruption a public policy, and points to the arrests of scores of Biya’s former colleagues, including former Prime Minister Inoni Ephraim.

However, Biya’s critics say he uses corruption to go after political opponents, an allegation Ngolle refutes.

“There is nothing to tell me that it is politically motivated, and I think that the initiative is a deliberate public policy which is intended to make Cameroon a better country. If there are manipulators, we would know how to take care of those manipulators,” Ngolle said.

Recovered funds

Cameroon has complained about lengthy judicial processes and difficulties tracing embezzled funds in foreign banks. In 2016, the government said it had recovered $4 million in stolen public funds. The state estimates more than $150 million has been stolen.

Muna says he already is working on what he calls an African platform to bring back the stolen money.

“I made a proposal, which was adopted by the heads of state of the African Union,” Muna said. “It was my proposal. My proposal was that all the moneys that are found in foreign banks, which are frozen, should be transferred to African Development Bank, because what I am saying that those banks that are keeping that money are complicit with the kleptocrats who stole the money from Africa because they knew that they were taking this money illegally and they took it. So they are handling illegal goods.”

Activist Edward Nfor praises Muna’s lofty ideas, but says competing in Cameroon’s politics will be more than a challenge for the anti-corruption campaigner.

“He has never come out on a public debate or on a political debate before. He has never been on any political platform,” Nfor said. “So, I do not see how he can win elections in this country. In fact, he is well known at international circles. But politically speaking, in this country, AkereMuna is a non-figure in politics, and I know the English community is against his standing for elections, especially during this crisis.”

Muna says his being from Southwest Cameroon � where insurgents are fighting for an English-speaking state � will help spur dialogue to end the simmering conflict.

“The Anglophone crisis has taken a good part of the population that might have voted in favor of Akere [Muna]. His percentage might have swollen if the situation in the northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon was stable,” Foyong said. “If Akere and other prominent opposition candidates like Joshua Osih, Maurice Kamto came up with a single opposition candidate to face Paul Biya, Akere may have been having some hopes.”

Cameroonian voters will get a better sense of the anti-corruption campaigner’s chances as Muna and the other presidential candidates begin campaigning for the October election.

Source: Voice of America

]]>Fight against abuse must be taken to the next levelhttps://knowledgebylanes.co.za/fight-against-abuse-must-be-taken-to-the-next-level/
Sun, 05 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://knowledgebylanes.co.za/?guid=4bc44481d9e9bd1a5086767273a24c0a

In order to stop gender-based violence, South Africa must ensure the systems that are meant to protect women are working seamlessly.

This is according to former Minister Barbara Hogan who on Sunday addressed women at the Women’s Jail at Constitutional Hill, in Johannesburg as part of Women’s Month. Hogan was incarcerated at the jail after being charged for treason for her activities against the apartheid government.

The anti-apartheid activist said it was important to understand what allowed the abuse against women to continue and out of that shape initiatives.

Our task going forward is to start understanding how we can take the struggle against gender-based violence to another level. We are protesting, we are making it visible, that’s got to be done because without that visibility and without people understanding that this is not the norm, women must not be abused [it will not stop], Hogan said.

She said it was also important to understand why women who experience abuse suffer in silence.

We need to be getting more into the social environments, what is happening in those environments to allow for it to continue to happen? We know there’s silence that allows it [to continue] but what are those fears that prompt silence, what is that invisibility, Hogan said.

She said it was important to look at the broader impact of abuse as it affected women emotionally, psychologically and their functionality going forward.

I think it’s great that women are standing up, the #MeToo movement ignited a lot and expanded on what was being done, Hogan said.

The #MeToo campaign encourages women to speak out against sexual harassment and assault.

During the commemoration on Women’s Month Hogan reflected on her 10 year sentence. She was arrested in 1981 after coded reports she had sent to the African National Congress headquarters in Botswana were intercepted.

Hogan became the first white woman to be convicted of high treason in South Africa in 1982.

Prison is one of those places where if you are a prisoner you suffer more exclusion, you are considered to be beyond the pale. Out of everybody that is excluded in society, prisoners are the most excluded, ignored and the most not responded to, she said.

The programme for the event included visits to the graves of late struggle stalwarts Helen Joseph, Lilian Ngoyi, Rahima Moosa and Albertina Sisulu.

The military said in a statement Sunday that another 49 suspected militants have been arrested. It says it destroyed 26 hideouts and weapons depots, and dismantled 64 explosive devices.

The military says airstrikes destroyed 32 vehicles containing weapons and ammunition in the Western Desert and in the south.

It wasn’t possible to independently confirm the claims as access to the northern Sinai is heavily restricted.

Egypt launched a nationwide operation against militants in February. It has struggled to combat a long-running insurgency in the Sinai that gained strength after the military overthrew a divisive Islamist president in 2013 and which is now affiliated with the Islamic State group.

President Salva Kiir and former Vice-President and rebel opposition leader, Riek Machar signed the agreement, said Sudan’s state news agency, SUNA.

As part of the deal, Kiir will remain president and Machar will return to the country as the First Vice President, one of five vice presidents. There will be an eight month pre-transitional period led by Kiir, followed by a three year transitional period. The government will include 20 ministers from Kiir’s party, nine from Machar’s and six from other groups, said the agreement.

This is the latest of several attempts at peace agreements and cease-fires since war broke out in 2013. The first peace agreement fell apart in July 2016 when fighting erupted in the capital Juba and Machar fled the country on foot. He’s since been under house arrest in South Africa.

South Sudan’s government insists this time things will be different between the two leaders and Machar has “learned the hard way” and has promised to work with Kiir because he doesn’t want to go back to South Africa, said government spokesman, Michael Makuei, at a press conference in Juba last week. Upon his return, Machar’s troops are to go to cantonment sites for training to be unified with the government army, he said.

At least one South Sudan expert is calling the deal “a high-risk model” for trying to end the conflict.

“In 2013, Riek competed to replace Kiir and Kiir violently expelled him. In 2016, Riek competed to replace Kiir and Kiir violently expelled him. Both events led to large-scale atrocities. This peace deal sets up the exact same scenario for the third time,” said Alan Boswell a South Sudan conflict analyst. When it fails, it fails explosively.”

Multiple cease-fires have been signed in recent years, all of which have been violated within hours of being implemented. The international community’s patience has been waning with the young nation and last month the U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo.

In July South Sudan’s parliament extended the government’s mandate until 2021, angering the opposition, which said the government was “playing games” at the negotiating table.

Some rights groups applaud the deal, but cautioning that it’s only a first step.

“To prevent a return to war, the agreement must ensure that overwhelming power is not concentrated in a few hands,” said Brian Adeba, deputy director of policy at the Enough Project, a Washington-based advocacy group.

Edmund Yakani, executive director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a local rights group called the deal a positive development, but said he’s not fully convinced.

“The challenge is the will the political leaders and we are expecting them to take primary responsibility for making peace happen in South Sudan,” he said.

Source: Voice of America

]]>Operation Buya Mthetho makes a dent on crimehttps://knowledgebylanes.co.za/operation-buya-mthetho-makes-a-dent-on-crime/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://knowledgebylanes.co.za/?guid=5c66e7a53735e6de9eeff8011e1e1945Efforts to combat aggravated robberies are paying off, with a significant reduction seen in Cash-in-Transit (CIT) heists, which dropped by 63% from April to June 2018.

From 15 April 2018 to June 2018, CIT robberies have declined by 63%, Police Minister Bheki Cele told a media briefing in Tembisa on Thursday.

According to the figures, Gauteng moved from 20 to seven CIT robberies. Mpumalanga moved from five to one, North West from three to zero, while the Western Cape and Eastern Cape stayed the same at two and four respectively.

A total of 42 people linked to CIT robberies have been arrested to date. Among those arrested is Wellington ‘Bibi’ Ceneda from Tembisa, the alleged kingpin behind more than 20 heists in Gauteng, the North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Ceneda, whose crimes amount to over R46 million, was arrested in the Free State last week and made his first court appearance on Monday, 20 August.

These arrests are part of the nationwide stabilisation operation known as Operation Buya Mthetho.

Buya Mthetho is an operational plan by the law enforcement leadership in Gauteng to respond to the clarion call by government for an urgent plan to address the surge in lawlessness, restore safety and ultimately restore public confidence in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster.

The multi-disciplinary investigative operation, consisting of members from Crime Intelligence, seasoned and experienced detectives and specialised tactical teams, has also seen the recovery of 48 firearms, 54 vehicles, 47 explosive devices and over 150 rounds of ammunition used in the heists. Millions of rands have been seized.

We are serious about turning the tide. We will not rest until we win the war on crime. We are breaking the backs of the criminals in the CIT space, Cele said before calling on community members to work with the police to apprehend suspects.

Reclaiming the streets from criminals

Operation Buya Mthetho is not only focused on CIT robberies but also other crime categories, which have also seen great improvements, especially in the City of Johannesburg. Mayor Herman Mashaba and Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina joined the Minister’s briefing.

In Tembisa alone, Cele said 84 suspects have been arrested in the last 36 hours for various crimes. The 84 suspects include four criminals on the country’s top 15 most wanted criminals.

We are serious about ensuring that our people are and feel safe in line with Outcome 3 of the National Development Plan. Crime cannot only be a police issue. We need to partner with other law enforcement agencies like the metro police officers, said Cele.

Going forward, the Minister said they will be focusing their efforts on ridding Gauteng province, the economic hub of the country, of crime. This will be done by increasing police visibility.

We want to clean up Gauteng because 50% of the crime committed in South Africa happens in this province. That is why we gave Gauteng 54 high performance cars to deal with criminals.

From illicit cigarettes to those who abuse women and children and hijackers, the Minister warned that they will be out to get the perpetrators.

Over 22 000 vehicles were hijacked in Gauteng alone in the previous financial year. Most of these cars, the Minister said, are used in CIT crimes, while others cross the border to neighbouring countries.

We will continue to stamp the authority of the State in our efforts to prevent, combat and investigate crime and we will do this without any fear or favour, Cele said.

He said they will also continue with their special focus and deal with issues of women safety.

If needs be, we will go toe to toe with these criminals. I want to make a clarion call to police officers to be very hard on women abusers, he said, adding that SAPS will now be working with the NPA to ensure that crimes against women are prioritised.

The Minister started his morning by engaging the community of Madelakufa informal settlement in Tembisa, who complained about high crime levels and service delivery issues, with housing topping the list.

Residents told the Minister and Masina that they moved to Madelakufa more than 15 years ago but are yet to receive houses, while others who have moved to the informal settlement more recently have already received their houses.

Masina, in turn, assured them that they have budgeted millions for the Clayville mega human settlements project, which will accommodate residents from Madelakufa.

Source: South African Government News Agency

]]>Call for naturalisation applicants to update detailshttps://knowledgebylanes.co.za/call-for-naturalisation-applicants-to-update-details/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://knowledgebylanes.co.za/?guid=12b44052cc2a8153197c7225ee40371eThe Department of Home Affairs has called on all foreign nationals who have applied for citizenship through naturalisation to approach offices where they lodged their applications so that they can urgently update their contact details.

The department is concluding its adjudication processes to be followed by induction and naturalisation ceremonies scheduled to take place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in August.

The department has noted that in some instances application processes take longer than expected, resulting in some of the applicants changing their contact details or even losing them. This has proven difficult for the department to reach a number of the applicants, the department said.

Applicants for naturalisation are urged to constantly check their status of application or progress with the office of application as approved applications that require signing of Declaration of Allegiance will only be valid for a period of six months from date of approval as appearing on 035.

Any expired period of signing the Declaration of Allegiance will be considered as non-compliance. The application process would immediately lapse and an applicant for naturalisation would be required to lodge a new application.

Source: South African Government News Agency

]]>Concerns on Impala Platinum restructuring planshttps://knowledgebylanes.co.za/concerns-on-impala-platinum-restructuring-plans/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://knowledgebylanes.co.za/?guid=486f5cf5862fd708e8146a1ed4c3906bImpala Platinum’s announcement to restructure the company is disconcerting considering the high unemployment rate in the country as reflected in the latest Stats SA survey, says Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe.

Now is the time to work collectively and make our country prosper, and desist from behaviour that is careless and without foresight, Mantashe said.

On Thursday, Implats announced that its Board of Directors had approved the next phase of the implementation of Impala Rustenburg’s strategic transformation.

This followed the recent completion of a strategic review aimed at restoring the Impala Rustenburg operation to long – term sustainability and profitability, the company said.

The plans, which will be implemented over a two-year period, are expected to result in about 13 000 job losses. Impala Rustenburg’s mining footprint will be reduced from 11 to six operating shafts.

The Ministry, once more, urges Implats to reconsider its actions and return to the process we all agreed upon. Now is the time to work collectively and make our country prosper, and desist from behaviour that is careless and without foresight, the Ministry said.

According to the Minister, the department was still at the beginning of engagements with Implats wherein the company was encouraged to consider different options of saving jobs and keeping their operations working.

We have consistently maintained that only an industry that does not regard workers as a valuable asset behaves in this manner. Implats actions are a display of arrogance, hence they can go against the grain at the time when the President of the Republic is calling on all of us to put shoulder to the wheel in turning around our country’s economic fortunes, Mantashe said.

Department of Mineral Resources Director-General Advocate Thabo Mokoena has established a task team to consider in greater detail Impala Platinum’s restructuring plans.

Government is of the view that as far as possible retrenchments should be considered only as a last resort, after all other possible options have been considered, Mokoena said.

Implats CEO Nico Muller said the only option for conventional producers today is to fundamentally restructure loss-making operations to address cash-burn and create lower cost, profitable businesses that are able to sustain operations an employment in a low metal price environment.

While employee rationalisation is inevitable in a restricting process of this nature, due care will be taken to ensure that job losses are minimised as far as possible through a range of job loss avoidance measures.

This major transformation will be phased over a two year period to ensure that we are able to mitigate the various implementation risks and socio-economic impacts, Muller said.

Parliament� A delegation of the Joint Constitutional Review Committee conducted public hearings in Citrusdal into possible amendment of section 25 of the Constitution.

The committee received a variety of views from the public, which was made up of people like farmers, farm workers, and representatives from various political parties from the local community and neighboring communities. The committee heard differing views on the possible amendment of section 25 of the Constitution. There were people who were in favour of the amendment without compensation and those who were against the amendment. Those who were against said it would have a negatively impact on the economy of the country and on food security.

During the hearings some of the presenters dismissed the view that expropriation of land without compensation will affect food security. Some of the oral presentations made were in favour of land reform but not the amendment of the Constitution, as the presenters were of the view that the Constitution allows for land reform without having to amend the Constitution.

A call was made by various presenters that a moratorium should be placed on farm evictions as the process of public hearings on the possible amendment of section 25 of the Constitution is underway. People were of the view that the hearings will escalate farm evictions for the farm dwellers by farm owners.

The committee thanked the community of Citrusdal for handling themselves in an orderly manner. The public participation engagement will move to Swellendam on the 3rd of August.

Source: Parliament of the Republic of South Africa

]]>King of AmaMpondo to be inaugurated in Octoberhttps://knowledgebylanes.co.za/king-of-amampondo-to-be-inaugurated-in-october/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://knowledgebylanes.co.za/?guid=22507c8d352a7fc9c370eb65b2159bcfCooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has announced the coronation of His Majesty King Mangaliso Ndamase, which will take place at Nyandeni Great Place in Libode in the Eastern Cape.

The ceremony will take place on 3 October 2018. It will include the formal investiture of the King, with a performance of the AmaMpondo aseNyandeni traditional and customary ritual and enrobement of the King.

The ceremony will also include the taking of a special oath of office administered by a designated member of the judiciary.

The coronation will be the second of a King since the dawn of democracy following that of His Majesty King Mpendulo Calvin Zwelonke Sigcawu, the King of AmaXhosa.

His Majesty King Ndamase is the sixth Kumkani/King of Western Pondoland or AmaMpondo aseNyandeni following in the footsteps of those who came before him.

The Presidency of the Republic has designated 3 October 2018 as the date on which the President will officially hand over the certificate of recognition to the AmaMpondo Kingship and His Majesty during the coronation ceremony.

This follows the recognition of AmaMpondo aseNyandeni as a Kingship and King, respectively by government in 2010.

His Majesty King Ndamase Ndlovuyezwe Ndamase is the son of the late King Makaziwe Ndamase and the late Queen Bhongolethu Ndamase.

King Ndamase took over his position as King in 2008 at the age of 24 years from his mother, Queen Fikelephi Bongolethu Ndamase, who had been the Queen Regent for 11 years.

The Queen Mother, who worked tirelessly to unite AmaMpondo AseNyandeni, passed away on 8 June 2018.

The coronation will take place under the theme, ‘Together celebrating the heritage of AmaMpondo AseNyandeni’ (Sisonke sibhiyozela inkcubeko yamaMpondo AseNyandeni’). This is in line with government’s approach to restore the institution of traditional leadership.

The historic event will take place in the year celebrating the centenary of former President Nelson Mandela, who was also a traditional leader.

The coronation will be held in celebration of his contribution to cementing democracy, while also respecting and recognising the institution of traditional leadership and the rich cultural heritage of the country.

The coronation also takes place as the country marks the centenary of Mama Albertina Sisulu, who played an important role in the liberation struggle and was a key champion of the rights of women.

Source: South African Government News Agency

]]>People of Oudtshoorn Call for Acceleration of Land Redistributionhttps://knowledgebylanes.co.za/people-of-oudtshoorn-call-for-acceleration-of-land-redistribution/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000http://knowledgebylanes.co.za/?guid=0cc01cf34a4974962141f0ac1bbf25d5The delegation of the Joint Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) led by the committee’s Co-Chairperson Mr Vincent Smith began the Western Cape leg of public hearings in Oudtshoorn, on whether or not the Constitution should be amended to allow for expropriation of land without compensation.

At the onset of the hearings Mr Vincent Smith told members of the public that the role of the committee is to listen to the public on the matter to amend or not section 25 of the Constitution and the fact that the committee will later deliberate after taking all submissions into account.

Emotions ran high at times as speakers, one after another recounted how families were forcefully removed from their land. Mr Jacques Booysen told the delegation about how bulldozers destroyed his parental house when he was a young boy of around seven years old. He recounted how he and his siblings had to sleep outside with his parents in the cold and wet winter season conditions under the stars for three weeks until the authorities found them suitable alternative accommodation.

Mr Booysen said his parental house was declared a slum and up to today his 80-year-old mother still lives in a township.

Chief Theron of the Korana community told the delegation that the Khoisan and the San are the first people in South Africa and they were the first people to be dispossessed. He demanded fair redistribution of land. He said redistribution of land must begin with the land that was dispossessed from rightful owners as far back as 1652.

The delegation was told that the Western Cape Provincial Government is still removing the indigenous people by force from their land.

Farm workers, one after another spoke of the terrible conditions under which they live on the farms. Mr Witengel van Heerden said when his grandmother died at 92 recently, she still recalled how the whites forced them out of their land. Our people live in dilapidated houses and the farmers refuse to either fix them or allow us to fix them. We want what was stolen from us. We want our land; we want our culture. One farm worker asked how can it be right for 12 people to live in a three roomed house? We want our land so that we canfarm emphasised Mr Van Heerden.

Like in other provinces, the people of Eden District Municipality expressed divergent views on the issue of expropriation of land without compensation. A female farmer, who introduced herself as Mrs Le Roux, insisted that her forefathers bought the land she now farms on. She believes the current legislation and Constitution should remain as is.

Another woman pleaded with the committee not to amend the Constitution. Do not break something that is working. Don’t take away the things that puts food on the table. People can rather institute land claims, she said.